The Geek and The Spy
by Random Little Imp
Summary: James Bond at a Comic Convention
1. Chapter 1

Garett Bale was in his happy place. Sure it was a hot, and an odd smell off sweaty unwashed people surrounded him while sandwiched between people in a seemingly never-ending que, but it was as close to heaven he thought could ever exist on earth. It was nine in the morning on a day in late August, and it was much warmer outside then it had any right to be this time of year. Garett, and everyone else for that matter, had been standing in this line for hours already. They were all cranky, half asleep and mostly hung over, but otherwise in good temper. This was DragonCon, and they were waiting to go through registration to get their badges that would allow them access to the second largest Sci-Fi Fantasy and Comic Convention in the states. The whole room hummed with energy, even if no one was moving.

Garett had been in the states from England for a couple of years now, studying abroad at MIT, and was enjoying himself completely. Sure he could have stayed closer to home and studied Computer Science at Cambridge, but MIT was ranked highest for the subject and it gave him an excuse to see a bit more of the world. Of course being who he was, the first extra-curricular thing he had done was purchase tickets for San Diego ComiCon. It had been immense and fantastic; he didn't think there could be anything better. So when some of his new friends at school had invited him to join them at DragonCon he was a little reluctant. How could anything live up to SDCC. He had never been so happy to be wrong. SDCC was immense but fairly corporate, and not too much going on after hours, it was made by the industry for the industry. DragonCon on the other hand was made by fans for fans; it was a four day party that ran around the clock. You didn't need to get a hotel room if you didn't want to (he had because he liked to shower and sleep at least a little), because there was always something going on no matter the time. It was geek love at first sight, and he had bought his ticket for the next year before he left that first time.

So there he was waiting in line for his badge, striking up random conversations with those around him, when he noticed the strange, out of place, man for the first time. He was tall and obviously well muscled under his brand new Batman t-shirt. It wasn't completely unheard of to have a well built geek, plenty of Conan cosplayers proved that, but the way this man held himself was what made him seem like he didn't belong. His hair was short and blond, and as Garett watched him scan the crowd he could tell he was looking for someone, or something. When the man turned his eyes in his direction Garett saw that they were impossibly blue, and couldn't help but stare. The man stared back at him for what seemed an eternity, and Garett realized he had stopped breathing. The man was incredibly handsome, if a few years older; Garett wondered what those arms would feel like under his thin fingers. It was then that someone nudged him from behind and his trance was broken as he realized the que was moving without him. He quickly grabbed his bag and rushed to catch up with it, and the strange man was lost in the crowd of faces.

* * *

James Bond didn't want to be here. Georgia in the summer was hot and the humidity was always high making it oppressive. It certainly didn't help that he was standing in a room packed to the rafters with spotty men who obviously didn't understand basic hygiene. Although he had to admit the t-shirts that Q Branch had provided him did fit the occasion, even if they were a bit too crisp and new comparatively. He should have washed them a few times before leaving as they had suggested. It didn't help that he was here on a mission even a trained monkey could have accomplished. James missed his suits.

MI6 had gotten Intel from the Turkish Government that some American had sent an email claiming to have British Governmental secrets that he would be willing to sell them for the right price. The man was obviously new to espionage as he had sent the email to the attaché to the Turkish Ambassador in London. After a very small amount of effort, Q Branch had discovered the man's name address and occupation, which seemed to be selling bootleg copies of Sci-Fi television shows at comic book conventions.

They couldn't find out what government files this man had gotten his hands on, or how, so 007 was assigned the case to track down his laptop, copy the hard drive and then delete the files. It was something well below his pay grade as far as James was concerned, but M insisted it be him in case the man turned out to be more than he appeared, which is how he was now undercover in a room of sweaty geeks.

As he scanned the crowd, checking for fire exits, his eyes landed on the slim, be speckled youth with a mop of dark curls looking back at him. He looked to be in his early twenties and was staring at James with a look of awe, confusion and a bit of lust. James had to admit he was not a bad looking young man, one of the better looking in this crowd, and he was tempted to throw him a smile when the young man was nudged from behind ( a little harder than James thought necessary) and scurried off down the roped path towards the front of the room. Perhaps after he was done with his little errand James would try to track the young man down for a drink.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dealer's Room was even worse than Registration, James had decided. There were so many people moving slowly through each row of booths, you could barely see what each vendor was selling unless you pushed through to the edge of the crowd. Luckily his target had a large booth near the entrance, so James had found a spot against the far wall, out of the flow of pedestrian traffic. He could just make out the slightly balding head of the man above the crowd. James might not have been overly tall, but good posture did put his eye line above the heads of most of the attendees. He was so focused on his target that he didn't notice the quiet, younger man approaching.

"I wouldn't buy from him, if you want my opinion. There are much cheaper vendors farther into the room." Garett spoke just loudly enough to be heard over the din. James mentally berated himself for not seeing him before now, but it only lasted a moment as he realized that the familiar British accent the boy had was quite out of place in their current location. A smile formed on his lips as he also realized he would not have to track him down later if he was here now.

"You don't sound like a local." James said with a smirk as he saw the surprise on the younger man's face as he registered James' similar accent.

Garett couldn't help but laugh, "Neither do you." Of all the people to go up to in this crowd, he had found himself another brit. God, his eyes were even bluer close up, and that smug little smile just about had him melting on the spot. Garett turned to the nearly empty water cooler a couple feet from them to pour himself a drink, and to hide the obvious blush that was creeping across his face.

"So, why do you say I shouldn't buy from him, his booth seems fairly popular?" James had returned to watching his target intensely.

"Well, sure it's popular with people new to the convention scene, or those who just want to get in and out of the dealer's room before falling to the stench. Anyone else would know that there are better prices to be found deeper in the labyrinth, better quality as well." Garett answered, as he sipped at the slightly warm water. He was almost positive the cooler wasn't even plugged in; either that or the heat radiating off the mass of bodies was too much for the coolers little motor to fight against.

"So not only is he selling illegal copies of films, he's ripping people off in the process. Lovely." James didn't think he could lose more respect for the target, he was wrong.

"You're not interesting in buying anything from him are you?" Garett looked at James with narrowing eyes. There was something dangerous about the way he was looking at the vendor. Garett felt that it should frighten him, but for some reason he was more intrigued than anything.

Damn it, this boy was observant. James didn't want to have to hurt him, but he also couldn't risk his cover being blown either. It would do no good for the target to know they were on to his location. James was no stranger to thinking on his feet though. "You thirsty?" James turned to the younger man, trying to soften the serious expression on his face, "I need a bloody drink." James started to make his way towards the doors and was rather relieved when the younger man followed.

"Sure, yeah alright. I'm Garett by the way." Garett said as he followed the man out into the open lobby space beyond the doors.

"Bond, James Bond."

* * *

They were sitting across from each other in a booth at the hotel bar. It was early enough in the day that it was rather quiet, but they still served James and Garett a couple of pints. It wasn't anywhere as good as what he could get at home but it would do. "You were right," James looked at Garett, "I'm not interested in what that vendor had for sale." Garett looked up at him with interest as James began to spin the cover story he had in the file, "I'm more interested in what he has on his laptop."

"Excuse me?" Garett was suddenly wondering if he was sharing a drink with a thief.

James leaned towards the younger man as if to keep their conversation private, "Pictures, in particular, of my younger sister. Ones the family would prefer not to get out, if you understand my meaning."

"Yes, yes I think I understand perfectly." Garett leaned back in relief, that made a lot more sense. The vendor looked like a bit of a creep. If he didn't mind bootlegging DVDs why would it bother him to have compromising pictures of another person? 'Is he threatening to post them online?"

"Yes, unless we pay him a considerable fee. Of course there is no guarantee that he won't just ask for more money later, if he still has copies of the files." James was playing the protective older brother quite well, as he could tell Garett was completely taken in by the story.

"Do you know how to permanently delete the files from his hard drive? I ask because deleted files can be recovered if you don't know what you're doing, because most computer operating systems will only delete links to the files, but the actual data remains on the drive. Getting access to the deleted files is as simple as restoring the links." Garett wanted to help James, if he could; Garett didn't like the idea of his sister's pictures in someone else's hands, and Garett didn't even know her.

Perhaps James could use Garett to help him; it was always handy to have a second pair of eyes. That would mean continuing to lie to him about James' actual objective though. That usually isn't a problem for a seasoned agent such as James, but it felt different lying to Garett. He was smart; James could tell he would be an asset. "I wouldn't feel right asking you to get involved in my problem." It wasn't a lie for once, "Perhaps you could just write the directions down for me."

"Don't be ridiculous, I want to help. Besides it would be better if I was able to talk you through it, over the phone or something, in case something goes wrong." Garett was insistent now, and he downed the last of his pint in one big swig to cement his resolve.

"What do you mean 'goes wrong'?" James was looking at the younger man curiously.

"If he has security on the laptop you can't get through, or remote alarms or something. I can talk you through going in the back door, as it were, and bypass any security measures he may have in place. I can't write that down though, too many variables too cover. It might be better if I just go with you but that might be too conspicuous." Garett was rambling now and James starting to think this job was not as easy as he thought it was going to be. He definitely thought Garett was a lot smarter than James had originally took him for.

Garett was on a roll now, he was barely loud enough in his mumblings, but James could hear the younger man talking himself into a plan of action that James was not sure was a good idea. "I mean we could talk via Bluetooth, I could keep an eye out while you got hands on the laptop. Or it might be better if you play look out while I hack his system. You are better equipped to handle a physical confrontation than I am, but I'm sure you wouldn't trust me to be anywhere near those pictures, you hardly know me."

"No, I should be the one to erase the files, but I could use a look out and tech support in my ear." James smiled at Garett, and tried to convey a relieved ease that was not entirely genuine. He could leave this boy out of it, Q branch could do the same job for him remotely, but he couldn't stand anyone in that department anymore. They were all so meek around him. Sure that was his own fault, he didn't exactly treat them with kid gloves, he was pretty abrasive in fact. "Although, I have to warn you, I don't deal well in stressful situations. You might not like me much afterwards."

Garett smiled, he was feeling a bit warm from the alcohol as he drained his glass again. He didn't even remember the waitress bringing another round, that's how focused he had been on his planning. "Then you should buy me dinner before we do this."


	3. Chapter 3

James had Garett pressed against the inside side of his suite's door as his tongue pushed into the younger man's mouth. Pressing their hips together with a sensuous grinding motion to hold Garett in place, making James' intentions for where he wanted the rest of the evening to go quite clear. Garett's nimble fingers worked the buttons on James' shirt open so he could feel those taut muscles under his fingertips. The pair broke apart long enough to catch their breath and for James to take hold of Garett's hips and pull him further into the room towards the bed.

James had taken Garett out for dinner two hours earlier after having changed into something more appropriate. It wasn't an overly fancy restaurant, more of a steak house, but the low lighting and dark wood accents made for a nicely intimate setting. The two had spent most of their time there just watching each other in silence. Not an uncomfortable silence but one heavy with attraction. Anyone who looked their way could tell they were not just two friends out for a meal.

When they did speak James let Garett do most of the talking. He really didn't have an extensive back story for this cover, as it was meant to be an easy in and out type of assignment, and he didn't want to risk making something up on the spot and possibly giving himself away.

The more he heard about the younger man the more he realized he had the perfect partner for this plan. Garett was highly intelligent and knew quite a bit about computers and there operations. It was as if James had the entire Q Branch with him in this one person. James would have to recommend him to HR when he got back to be considered for a position in TSS when Garett was done with his studies here in the states.

James was just thinking about how it was a shame he couldn't be more truthful with Garett about what his actual interest in his mark was when he felt the younger man freeze. James stop kissing Garett's neck long enough to look up at the younger man's face only to see Garett's wide eyed stare at something behind James. There was a mild bit a fear and confusion in his expression that put James on alert, but his other senses didn't detect anything amiss.

"Is that a Walther PPK in that case on the table?" Garett's eyes never left the gun.

James had decided at the last moment not to take the gun with him to dinner, feeling it was unlikely he would need it. Unfortunately in his haste to meet up with Garett, he had left his gun case open and out for anyone to see. He was really hoping he wouldn't have to kill Garett, but things were not looking good for that at the moment.

Garett slowly moved around James and walked carefully towards the gun case as if it was a feral animal about to pounce. "German made, semi-automatic pistol with a seven round capacity, 8 if you have one in the barrel. 155 millimeter total length and a mere 590 gram weight." His fingers were now gently brushing across the side that was showing while pressed firmly in the specially designed foam cushion, an extra clip pressed into a space right next to it. "It's a very nice gun." Garett could see that it had seven rounds already in it, ready for use. There was also a shoulder holster lying on the table next to the case, the leather worn from numerous uses.

Garett turned back towards James calmly to find the blonde man standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious look on his face. James wasn't saying anything, but the expression he gave Garett was that he hadn't been meant to see that. "Do you even have a sister? It doesn't seem to me that someone who can get one of those through customs is going to bother coming across the ocean after compromising photos."

"You're a smart boy, why don't you tell me what you think I'm doing here." James' voice was stern, more stern than he intended, but he wanted to assess the damage his rookie mistake had caused. He sat down in one of the chairs beside the table, and gestured to Garett that he should take the seat across from him.

"I'd say you were government, but the guy in the dealer's room didn't exactly come off as an international terrorist, at least not a competent one. Unless his lack of basic hygiene is part of his cover." Garett sat and looked over at James as he sat, "Or was that just a story to tell to get closer to me? You're not investigating me are you; I haven't done anything to warrant scrutiny from the government that I am aware of." His voice took on a hint of nervousness as his thoughts went down that path.

"No, I am not investigating you further than the warming of my sheets." James gave Garett a smirk and watched as he let out on obvious sigh of relief, "And no, the man downstairs is not an international terrorist by any stretch of the imagination, at least not yet. He does, however, claim to have compromising information about the British government that he has offered up for sale to the highest bidder."

Garett gave James a look of disbelief, "Really, he doesn't look like the type to know how to jailbreak an iPhone let alone hack into a government server and steal sensitive information."

James gave a little laugh, "No he does not appear like much of a threat, but I need to find out if any of his claims are true. Retrieve the files and any information pertaining to how he obtained them and then wipe his hard drives."

"So you're MI5 then?" Garett leaned back in his chair, trying to process everything that he had just learnt. "I'm not going to say anything, I swear." He added the last statement quickly, in hopes this wasn't an 'if I tell you I'll have to kill you scenario'.

James decided at this point full disclosure was the best way to go; perhaps he could still save the mission with Garett's help, but more importantly his evening. The fact that he was taking the truth of James' intent so calmly was actually a bit of a turn on. "MI6 actually, I think I might be a bit over qualified for this mission to be honest, but I would still like your help if you're up for it."

"Can we leave a snarky note on his desktop after we scrub his drive, because I think it would be a waste if we didn't?" Garett smiled broadly at James who let out a loud laugh before coming around the table and pulling the younger man back into a crushing embrace, his lips crushing against the younger man's.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning found Garett sitting in the hotel restaurant alone sipping on some really horrible tea while listening to James curse colorfully in his ear. It was all he could do to keep from laughing out loud. "Relax James; you have all the time in the world. The bugger has just gone back to the buffet for his third helping of bacon and eggs. With as much fat and grease as he seems to consume I'm surprised he hasn't succumb to heart disease yet. I keep expecting him to collapse in the que, clutching his chest."

"Bloody piece of crap won't work. How hard is it to crack a key card reader? Sodding Q-Branch, think I need to put the fear of God into them to get any working tech these days." James was mumbling, but with the Bluetooth device Garett had given him the younger man could hear every word, and then some.

"Am I hearing you smacking that obviously expensive bit of Government Issue tech James?"

There was a familiar beep and then James was in the room, "Well it worked didn't it." He said smugly as he closed the door behind him.

"I hope you don't treat all your equipment that roughly, it's a wonder they issue you anything." Garett laughed lightly into his cup.

"You didn't seem to have any complaints about my rough treatment last night." Garett could just picture the grin on James' face.

Picking up the convention program in an attempt to hide the blush that colored his face, Garett continued talking into his tea cup. "I'm not a piece of equipment, not to mention the fact that I can dish it out just as well as I can take it. As I'm sure you remember."

James laughed out loud at that, but instantly regretted opening his mouth that wide. "Dear God, I've been in torture chambers that smelt better than this room. What is wrong with people, there is maid service available." He started to search the room, careful not to disturb too much, until he found a laptop tucked between the mattress and the box spring. He gently pulled it out, careful not to trip any defense measures. There weren't any, but James' behavior on this mission so far had been pathetically juvenile up until now, time to get serious. "Laptop acquired."

He placed the Laptop on the small table, next to a couple trays of dirty room service plates. "Target is on the move, heading towards the dealers room. Now do you remember what I told you to do, how to boot it off the flash drive?"

"Yes mother, I'm not a complete idiot you know Garett. I can handle a simple boot up." James reached into his pocket and retrieved a small flash drive fashioned to look like some cartoon character he didn't recognize. "You just keep your head down, if he spots you following him this whole thing could go to hell fast."

"Now who's treating who like an idiot? I'm far enough back that I can still see him, but in this crowd there is no way he would think anything of one more person heading this way." Garett wandered along with the crowd. It was a good thing this convention was so popular, there was no way for anyone to tell they were being followed in these crowds. "Is this how you treat your usually tech team, I can see what you mean by not dealing well in stressful situations."

Garett found the same out of the way spot near the wall he had found James in the day before, using the convention program as a cover for his carefully observations of the target. "Have you got it booted up yet?"

"No, his laptop has got to be at least five or six years old. I swear it's heaver than some tanks I've driven, and much slower. This might take awhile. I hope this program of yours works on this ancient thing." James was standing watching the little machine sputter its way along.

"Don't worry about my programming; it will do everything I said it would. You will return to England the conquering hero." Garett smiled, feeling quite proud of himself.

James was not smiling; thoughts of returning to London included leaving Garett behind. He had grown fond of the younger man. Garett was intelligent, eager to please (in and out of the bedroom) and more than a match for James' personality quirks. "It's just too bad you won't get any credit you so rightly deserve for your help."

James knew he wasn't in love with Garett, but he wasn't ready to leave a note on the bedside table as he snuck out in the middle of the night either. "I know James, mum's the word. You can't say anything about me assisting you and I can't say anything at all. I don't think any other convention will ever live up to this one for me. I think you've ruined them for me for good."

"Well, if you enjoy it this much, perhaps you should look into a career in espionage when you get done with school. Although I have no idea how you would go about that. Maybe if you hack your way into MI5 servers and leave you resume for all to see. That might get you noticed." James said with a smirk, as he watched Garett's program going to work now that the laptop had finally finished booting up.

"Or get me sent to prison." Garett couldn't help but smile a little at the idea of it though, "Is that what you did to get your position?"

"No, I just blew up a lot of boats in my Navy days." James smiled as he remembered some of his early adventures, "Your program is running like a charm, how long should it take?"

"Told you it would work. It should only take a few minutes, don't worry you've got plenty of time. Your target is currently arguing with an irate customer looking for a refund. Do remember to put it back where you found it when you're done, don't want another situation like last night with your Walther."

"I hadn't actually been planning on having company last night when I left the room. Your seduction techniques were unexpected, you little vixen."

"My seduction techniques, you were the one who had me pinned to the walls of the elevator so I couldn't punch in my floor number."

"I just couldn't resist you any longer, and if I remember correctly you didn't put up much of a fight." As the program finished its run it automatically shut the laptop back down and James removed the flash drive. "Done, I'll meet you back downstairs at rendezvous point A." James slid the computer back into its hiding place in the bed and headed out the door and towards the elevators.

"It sounds so romantic when you put it that way." Garett turned to leave the dealers room and head back towards the other side of the hotel lobby.

"Cheeky bastard, you're not too big to be put over my knee you know."

"Now you're just trying to turn me on." Garett laughed as James emerged from the elevators and headed towards him.


	5. Chapter 5

The years had been hard for James, since he left Garett in that hotel in Atlanta, but he was still alive. Still alive despite a gunshot to the shoulder and a very far fall off a train trestle. He could tell everyone how he'd been 'enjoying death' but the truth was he was happy for the excuse to return to MI6. It wasn't the same without the hunt, the kill, the thrill of the chase.

All that time in the back end of nowhere, all he'd had to do was think, and remember. Not exactly something James liked doing with his past, but there were a few nights when Garett had showed up in those thoughts. Those nights were not as bad as the others.

Here he was, back in London, back with MI6. Here he was, sitting in the National Gallery, awaiting introductions to his new quartermaster. He missed Boothroyd already; he was in no mood to break in a new recruit. It was just then that James caught movement to his right as the younger man sat on the bench beside his own.

"It always makes me feel a bit melancholy. Grand old warship, being ignominiously hauled away for scrap." What was Garett doing here? How did he find James? "The inevitability of time, don't you think? What do you see?"

This was not good, not only was James working, but he looked like death warmed over. Garett would piece it together when he left without acknowledging their past, James hoped he would anyhow. "A bloody big ship. Excuse me."

James started to rise when Garett said something unexpected, " 007." James froze and then slowly sat back down, glaring at the other man. He knew that his agent number had not come up in conversation. "I'm your new Quartermaster."

He tried to keep from smiling and laughing with joy, as he was sure they would be being watched. So instead he smirked a bit and feel into the expected James Bond attitude he gave to all the techs, "You must be joking."

To his credit Garett rolled right along with James on this falsehood. He had been a rather smart lad. "Why, because I'm not wearing a lab coat?"

"Because you still have spots." James let a little grin slip, just to make sure Garett knew he was kidding .

"My complexion is hardly relevant."

"Your competence is." The jibe was a bit uncalled for even for James' usual behavior, but he really wanted to see if Garett could still keep up with him at his worst.

"Age is no guarantee of efficiency." Oh, he was good.

"And youth is no guarantee of innovation."

"Well, I'll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field." Ouch, that one almost hurt, and with that James knew Garett hadn't lost a step. He may have even gained a few; this was going to be interesting.

"Oh, so why do you need me?" It was a loaded question.

"Every now and then a trigger has to be pulled." Not the answer he wanted, but it would do, for now.

"Or not pulled. It's hard to know which in your pajamas." James was thinking about Garett, no Q, out of his pajamas, but that could wait. "Q."

There was work to do. " 007."

Q handed over James' plane ticket and passport for the mission and he didn't even look at them before slipping them into his coat. It was then that Q handed over the small leather case.

"The Walther PPK/S nine-millimeter short." He had remembered, "There's a micro-dermal sensor in the grip. It's been coded to your palm print so only you can fire it." Well that's new. "Less of a random killing machine, more of a personal statement." There was a radio transmitter too, standard issue.

"A gun and a radio, not exactly Christmas, is it."

"Were you expecting an exploding pen?" Had James told him about that mission? "We don't really go in for that anymore." Having him as Q was going to make missions much more fun, James could tell already. "Good luck out there in the field... And please return the equipment in one piece." Now he knew Garett remembered everything with that little statement.

It was going to take some time to remember to call him Q now. "Brave New World." Wouldn't do to slip up and call him by his actual name if he wasn't supposed to know it.


	6. Chapter 6

When James returns from Macau he arrives with a full security detail to escort Silva to his new home in isolation. As they step out of the elevator James spots Q meandering through the maze of desks in the new underground headquarters and lets the security team go ahead without him. "I'll catch up; I need to check in with the Quartermaster."

A light jog and he manages catch up with the younger man easily enough. A quick glance behind him to see who might be watching and he quietly drags Q into an empty storage room. Closing the door quickly behind them and he has Q pressed against the wall before the younger man can form a verbal protest.

"007, what do you think you are doing?" Q sputters, trying to keep his professionalism. James doesn't let that stop him though, and he soon has his lips pressed against Q's. At first the kiss is very one-sided on James' part, but soon Q softens under James' touch and starts to kiss him back. The kiss becomes deeper as the years apart start to show in a hunger for the feel of each other. Something they both missed much more than they cared to admit, even to themselves.

After a few moments James finally pulls back just far enough to speak, "Hello again. I see you took my advice."

Q lets a small smile form on his lips as his gazes traces across James' lips, obviously wanted to go back to the kiss, "As it turned out, the only one I needed to hack was Boothroyd. He was impressed enough to hire me on the spot."

"He always did have more brains than most people around here." James takes a small step back to take in all of Q for a moment. "What is with the outfit? I figured you'd be wearing jeans and t-shirts with superheroes on them."

Q brushes his hands down the front of his sweater, flattening out the wrinkles caused by their impromptu make out session. "This is a bit more professional for a department head. It's the least I can get away with in my position; at least I don't have to wear a suit every day. Jeans are reserved for my rare day off."

Remembering their meeting at the gallery James gives him a little frown. "I thought you looked good in a suit." James reaches up to straighten his own tie, realizing that their romantic reunion will have to wait. "I should be going, have to meet up with M, prisoner interrogation."

"Of course," Q replies calmly as he reaches for the door handle, "I trust you brought back your equipment like I asked."

Q leaves the room first, James following and immediately falling in to step alongside him. James reaches over and drops the small radio into Q's out stretched hand. "And the gun?"

"A giant Komodo Dragon ate it." Q stops and turns to James, his Agent bravado having returned to his features, all calm superiority that Q had gotten used to seeing on all the Double O agents.

"Is that like 'The dog ate my homework', is it meant to be funny?" Q had started walking again, a look of pure consternation on his face.

"Better the gun than me." James firmly smacks the younger man on the shoulder before heading off towards isolation, "Always nice to see you Q." He was definitely going to have to find a new flat, and soon. He needed to get that man back in his bed again if he was going to be able to control himself at HQ.

* * *

"If you're through that door you should be in the tube." Q was watching the little dot progress across his screen.

"I'm in the tube." He was following James' progress as he chased after Silva, trying to keep from blaming himself for this breach. Silva had planned it all out well in advance; he had been twenty steps ahead of MI6. It didn't make Q feel any less the amateur though, and now he was watching James try to fix his mistakes.

When he had been recruited into MI6 by Boothroyd all he could think about was the look on Bond's face when he walked into HQ. Only when he did walk into Q-Branch that first day it was two days too late. James Bond was K.I.A. He couldn't help but feel if he had gotten there a week earlier he could have prevented it, helped somehow, saved James.

Then the attack happened, and Boothroyd was gone and Q was in charge. They had moved everyone down to the tunnels and things were hectic for the first few days. It was finally starting to calm down a bit when Q saw a ghost wander past his office door. James was not dead, although he didn't look much better than dead. He would have chased after him right then if the shocked hadn't froze him in place. By the time he came to his senses James was gone, and Q realized that their previous encounter was still a secret. Running into his not dead lover's arms might not play well in the professional setting.

Besides, he had no idea if James would even want to revisit that romantic entanglement, or if Q was just another notch on 007's belt. He had read the man's extensive file once he had access, he knew his reputation well enough not to get his hopes up. So when James had dragged him off earlier, it was more of a relief than anything. All the tension that had formed from that first moment of seeing him, to their short conversation at the gallery, melted away in that kiss. It was then that Q knew James was still interested. Now was just a matter of finishing the mission and finding somewhere to go that was not MI6.

Of course that was before the security breach and the escape. Now they had a nice mess to clean up and all Q could do was talk James through it.

"District Line is the closest. There should be a service door on the left."

"Got it." At least he was helpful. "It won't open." Or maybe not so helpful. There was nothing to indicate that the door should be locked.

Just stuck then. "Of course it will. Put your back into it."

"Why don't you come down here and put your back into." There's the snark Q knew, it was almost relaxing to hear. "No it's stuck. Oh good, there's a train coming." Not so relaxing anymore.

He really didn't want to lose James again so soon, this was bad. No time to fall apart though. "Hmm, that's vexing." Q tried his best to keep his voice calm as he watched the two dots get closer to each other.

He could hear the train over the comms, it was getting ridiculously close, and then there were the gun shots. "I'm through." Q released the breathed he hadn't noticed he was holding, back to business then.

"Told you. We've alerted security, police are on their way."


	7. Chapter 7

"007 What the hell are we doing?" M spoke in a surprise, but was betrayed by her calm body language, as she carefully buckled her safety belt. "Are you kidnapping me?"

"That would be one way of looking at it." James glanced back at her in the rear view mirror for only a moment as he quickly drove away from Westminster. They both knew she was the target that Silva would chase after and therefore could not afford to stay in London. Bond already had a plan he just needed a little help from his old friend.

He tapped the ear piece to connect him with HQ again, "Q? I need help. "

"I'm tracking the car, where are you going?" He was staring at the screen ahead of him in mild concern, unable to tell what his lover's next move would be from his movements.

James was suddenly keenly aware of how much trust he was placing in the younger man he barely knew, and hadn't seen in years, but he felt sure he was safe in Q's hands regardless of what his training told him. "I've got M. We're about to disappear."

"What?" James could see the shock and concern that must be playing across Q's face at that moment.

"I need you to lay a trail of bread crumbs impossible to follow for anyone except Silva. You think you can do it?" James already knew Q could, it was more of a question of would he.

Q looked around Q branch, at the few people that were still milling about. None of them were paying any attention to him that he could tell, but he took the precaution of lowering his voice anyhow, "I'm guessing this isn't strictly official."

"Not even remotely." Just like old times then. James felt almost sad about getting Q to help with this, as he was going to be most definitely out numbered, and may not make it back from this mission. The odds were definitely stacked against them.

"So much for my promising career in espionage." Q took a sip from his scrabble mug to hide his grin, if he was going down, who better to do it with than James Bond. He had no way of knowing the morbid thoughts running through James' mind at that same moment.

* * *

It was late, and Q was blissfully alone in Q Branch finishing up the trail of breadcrumbs they were leaving for Silva. Tanner had excused himself half an hour previously to prep a retrieval team. Q's rapid fire typing was the only sound left in the room. So the approaching footsteps echoed loudly against the cavernous walls, announcing the presence of Alec Trevelyan. "Where is that bastard, I'm going to kill him all over again."

* * *

It seemed when James had told Q all those years ago that he wouldn't be able to tell anyone of Garett's involvement in the Atlanta mission, everyone did not include his brother in arms Alec.

He was in Q Branch the day Garett arrived. It was because 006 was pitching such a fit about the death of his friend that Q had found out about James' supposed death. Q, still just Garett at the time, had tried to mask his features to hide his shock and sadness at the news. He knew that mourning the death of someone you had never met before would have seemed suspicious.

Alec was not fooled; he was trained to read people. He took one look at him and could tell Garett was hiding something, he just wasn't sure what. At first he thought perhaps this new recruit was somehow involved with the stolen drive and therefore his friend's death. So he decided to investigate Garett on his own. The best way Alec knew to do that was to ask him to dinner. If his suspicions proved fruitless perhaps he could have an enjoyable evening with the lad back at his apartment. He certainly was a good looking lad.

Alec couldn't help but feel Garett looked familiar though, like he should recognize him from somewhere. He couldn't figure out where that somewhere was at first, and it had him on edge. The more he talked to Garett though, the more he realized that the mask was not hiding any guilt but rather an unwarranted mourning. Garett seemed to be mourning for a lost loved one, specifically Alec's friend James. It was with that little bit of information that Alec started to piece it all together.

Once they were alone, and Alec had plied Garett with a couple drinks, he broached the subject of their shared association. "So, have you been back to Comic Con lately?"

"DragonCon, you mean, and no, not since my adventure with James anyhow." It wasn't until the last word left his mouth that Garett realized what he had said. He was sure he had let his dulled brain talk him right out of a job. Except when he looked up at the agent across the table from him, Alec was grinning like a fool. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

"James and I have no secrets from each other. You made quite the impression on him. He couldn't stop talking about you for three days after getting back to London. I would have punched him in the jaw at one more mention of your 'soft curls between his fingers' if I hadn't been given a mission in Milan.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about James. Alec gave up any sexual pursuit of Garett and decided that having someone else to talk to about his lost friend was better than another notch on his bedpost. Their friendship was subtle in the office at first, but the time they spent together outside the office had the rest of HQ buzzing with rumors. So they stopped hiding their closeness. Neither man cared what anyone thought though, rather let them think the worst than dig too deep into it to find the truth. Alec also took it as a personal favor to his late friend to look after Garett's safety.

* * *

"Well? I know you know Q. Where is the bloody git?" Alec was standing in front of Q now, partial blocking his view of the main screen.

Q reached out, and not so gently pushed Alec to get him to move. He didn't actually have the strength to move the agent, but Alec respected him enough to move on his own. "Skyfall." He said it simply; there was no reason to beat around the bush with 006 about what was really going on.

"Bullshit! He would never go back to that house even if his life depended on it." Alec leaned forward on the desk waiting for Q to tell him the rest.

"It's not his life in jeopardy, it's M's. I'm sure his thoughts were that they needed somewhere remote, and familiar. They are outnumbered, and needed some advantage. I'm sure James thought it was the best option they had." Q had finished his typing and was packing his laptop into a satchel while Alec looked on. "There's a retrieval team leaving shortly for Scotland. If we hurry we can catch them and be in the air in five."

Q didn't wait for an answer and just slung his bag's strap over his shoulder and headed for the lift. Alec fell in beside him without a moment's thought.


	8. Chapter 8

It is quiet in the lift as the two head up towards street level. The only sound is the motors pulling them up by the steel cables attached to their same metal box. "So when were you going to tell me he was back?" Alec doesn't even bother to face Q as he speaks.

"You were in Budapest, at least that is where you were meant to be when your comm signal went dead and you dropped off our monitors. How exactly was I meant to get in touch? Smoke signals?" Q was fidgety, and his voice a little less calm than normal, he was not looking forward to what came next.

"You gave me that secure phone for a reason; I thought you'd use it." Alec was looking at the younger man now; he could see that Q's hands were shaking just a bit.

"Fine, I should have called, but things have been a little hectic around here lately if you hadn't guessed." Q turned on the tall agent as he made a sudden realization, "Why are you not more surprised that he's not dead? Did you know? Why didn't you tell me?" Q was starting to come apart at the seams and he knew it, but he couldn't stop the tumble down the rabbit hole. "I've read your files, I know you two have been thick as thieves since joining MI6, before that even. I swear to God Alec, if you knew and didn't tell me I will…I will…I don't know what I'll do but it won't be pretty!"

Alec tried to speak calmly, knowing Q was getting irrationally upset, and it had very little to do with the current conversation. "I didn't know, I suspected. They never found a body and James has come back from the dead before. This is not his first resurrection, and I doubt it will be his last."

"It damn well will be his last! I'm not having any boyfriend of mine just disappear off the map; make everyone think he's dead just to pop back up after a few months. I don't think my mind could take it." Q was starting to feel a little nauseous.

"Boyfriend? So have you two talked over things then?" Alec was smiling at the thought of his two friends finally finding each other again.

"I wouldn't say we talked so much, but we connected. I'm not sure if boyfriend is the right word for this…this thing we have. Don't tell him I said that, please." Q sighed and looked down at his feet as a slight blush spread across his face. It was nice to have someone to talk to about this thing with James, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. Q's hands were shaking again and his heart rate was well above normal as the lift doors finally opened at the top floor.

"You don't have to do this. You don't have to get in that chopper and fly all the way to Scotland just to go get him. I can handle it." Alec said, knowing that was what had Q acting so nervous. "It's a long flight."

"Yes I do. I'm his Quartermaster, and a Quartermaster takes care of his agents no matter what they need." Q took a deep breath and stepped off the lift, head held high as they walked to the Land Rover that would transport them to the helipad a few blocks away.

"But you hate flying Q." Alec placed a hand on the younger man's arm, "We can do this without you."

"I'm going 006 and that's final." Q sighed and climbed into the back seat of the SUV, "You'll just have to keep me distracted while we're in the air, that's all."

"Oh, is that all?" Alec laughed slightly at Q's stubbornness. It was really no surprise to him what James saw in the man, hell he'd go for him himself if he didn't think James would kick his ass for even thinking about it. There were some things these friends didn't share.

* * *

It was already dark out by the time they arrived at the helipad. Alec relieved one of the team members of his tactical gear as well as his seat in the chopper. He climbed aboard next to Q whose hands were shaking so badly at this point he couldn't work the buckles on his safety harness. Alec calmly took the straps from Q's hands and had the younger man securely strapped in after just a few seconds. "We fly in; take out the threat get James and M out. Piece of cake. You should stay in the chopper till the gunfire has stopped though. I doubt James would forgive me if you took a bullet to the head after all this time." He whispered the last bit into Q's ear so no one else could hear it, and then replaced the large headphone over it.

After strapping in himself Alec placed his headphones on and let the pilot know they were ready to go. As the helicopter lifted off Q dug his fingers into Alec's arm, leaving half moon indentations in his flesh through the heavy material.

"You know we're not going to fight, just retrieve." Q didn't even open his eyes before speaking, but Alec looked back at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, he'll be outnumbered, and he'll need the help."

"He is out numbered, but we'll never get there in time to do any good. Silva is hours ahead of us. Hell, he's probably already there." Q sighed and let his head drop. "James is on his own."

* * *

They saw the fire long before they arrived at the desolate area of Scotland where James' beacon was coming from. They managed to pinpoint him at the little derelict chapel on the property and set down not far from the frozen lake. They found one of Silva's men unconscious in the grass nearby and secured him for further questioning. The rest were dead or dying.

Q , very glad to be back on solid ground, strode confidently towards the chapel after it had been secured. Alec stayed by his side with every step, gun at the ready. James was kneeling on the floor between pews, blood staining his shirt and hands. The medics were loading M's body on to a stretcher while Silva's body lay in the dirt, ignored for the moment. There was an older gentleman in the corner giving the team a hard time about not needing there stupid orange blanket.

Q and Alec walked over to James and dropped down on either side of him. Q placed a gently hand on James' wrist as he spoke. "James, are you alright? Are you injured?"

"I couldn't save her." It was barely more than a whisper, "I tried, I always try but it's never enough. Everyone always dies."

Q noticed that James' cheeks were streaked with tears and knew this was not how he needed to be seen right now. He gave Alec a silent plea with his eyes and Alec just nodded. Without speaking he knew what Q wanted him to do. The two of them took James' arms and lifted him to his feet. Alec stayed in front, blocking anyone view, as Q lead James out of the building and back to one of the waiting choppers.

"The mission is finished. It's time to go home James." Q was all business as he spoke, but his heart was hurting as he saw James breaking down beside him.

"I don't have a home anymore Q. I've destroyed it all, I have nothing left."

"Then I guess you'll have to come back to mine." For once Q didn't even notice that they were in flight; he had other things on his mind.


	9. Chapter 9

James didn't speak again for two days.

The three men took up residence in the quartermaster's small flat. As crowded as it made things, Q was glad to have Alec there. He had seen James at his worst, and knew better what to be on the lookout for. So when Q was worried about the fact that James didn't eat or drink anything but expensive single malt for 48 hours, Alec just shook his head at him and told him not to worry.

With the exception of a quick shower when they first arrived James didn't move from the lounge chair in the living area except to relieve himself, and crack open a new bottle. Q placed plates with small bite size snacks beside him, but they all ended up in the bin, untouched.

On the third day James finally spoke, if only to try to scare Q off. First he tried to appeal to Q's sense of self preservation, "Dating me is not safe. What if someone comes after me but gets you instead? I won't always be around to protect you?" Q actually laughed.

Next he tried cruelty, "Why would you ever think I would be interested in a scrawny little boffin like you. You're barely out of nappies. You were nothing more than a mission fling for me. Q just ignored him, not taking the bait. He knew what James was trying to do, and he wasn't going to let James run him off that easily.

James eventually resorted to the truth; he was afraid for Q. "No one lives happily ever after once I make an appearance in their life. It's for your own good just to walk away now."

Q set a plate of food down in James' lap, looked him straight in the eye and spoke, "I'm not going anywhere." He said it slowly and with a calm resolve even James had to respect.

"Opezdol!" Alec smacked his friend on the back of the head to add emphasis to the insult, "That boy isn't going to be scared off by you. He is a lot tougher than you give him credit for, you know." James looks at his friend in surprise, not realizing till now just how close the two other men had become in his absence. "Someone tries to go after our dear quartermaster and it would be about as wise as cornering a feral cat. That 'scrawny little boffin' will outlive both of us. So stop being an ass to him or I'll shoot you myself."

James smiled at the obvious respect Q had earned from Alec. If his oldest pal thought Q could handle himself, James would have to believe him. Even though he still had a few reservations about it, James had to admit he liked having Q there for him.

* * *

Once James had finally started to come back from where ever his recent trauma had sent his subconscious running too, everyone breathed a large sigh of relief. He still wasn't sleeping well. Even with Q beside him he had trouble shaking the night terrors that plagued his unconscious mind. They were slowly becoming less frequent though as the days passed.

After a week and a half the most wondrous thing happened. James was sitting at the dinner room table with his third glass of scotch, watching Q in the kitchen. Q was making the three of them dinner, or trying to at least, when he accidently spilt a large container of whole pepper corns. He had been reaching for the newly refilled pepper mill when he bumped the still open, economy size, plastic bottle, sending it tumbling to the floor. His clumsy grab for it, to keep it from falling, resulted in nothing more than the entire contents pouring out onto the tiles, and then bouncing and rolling in every direction. Q also managed to flip the pot of sauce he had been trying to season off the stove and right into the sink.

James laughed. He laughed loudly and with true mirth, he couldn't contain himself. He was still grinning like an idiot and wiping the tears from his eyes as he joined Q, on hands and knees, to try and wrangle all the rolling peppercorns together. It was all Q and Alec could do to keep from staring at him.

Alec left the next day, content that his dear friend was well on his way to a full recovery. Alec knew that James was in good hands with Q, so when the mission in Odessa came up he didn't hesitate to get back into the field.

* * *

James walked through the door and took in the office before him. It was nothing like M's office had been. Her office had been cold with a wall of glass behind her, looking out at a bleak cityscape view. It had been almost oppressively bleak and almost completely lacking in anything personal, except for that dog. That bloody dog, which even now was waiting in a box to go home with him.

No, this office was much different. The leather and warm wood shelves stacked with books. The room was almost welcoming in its richness. James hoped it spoke of the person residing behind the desk, but at the same time his missed her office. He still missed that bitch, more than he cared to talk about.

"How's the arm sir?" James walked towards the desk as Mallory look up from the file in his hands.

"What? Oh it's fine. It'll get better." Mallory stood to properly greet the agent who was now standing on the other side of his desk. "All pretty shocking for someone not used to field work."

The men exchanged very slight grins at the personal jab Mallory made before his face became serious again. "So 007", he lifted up a file only to drop it on the desk in front of James, "lots to be done. Are you ready to get back to work?"

James stood there for a moment, thinking about all the things that field work meant. The running, the injures, the cold nights in some hovel in the back end of nowhere, but also the excitement of the chase, the nights in posh hotels and most of all, Q. He would have Q in his ear through all of it. As long as he had Q there, he was ready to take on the world. "With pleasure, M. With pleasure."


End file.
